Keeping Company
by Huh.Figures
Summary: AU. After eight years in an institution, said to be schizophrenic and violent, Haruno Sakura has the opportunity to leave forever. She has to finish her junior year without any mishaps or she's back in the hospital. She's not a schizo, she can speak with the dead. A mystery boy with a traumatic past must beat it. Can she help?
1. Prologue

It's a Tuesday night, yet for some reason Sakura feels as if it should be a Saturday night. Fatigue is something she usually experiences later in the week. The couch she sits on is lumpy so she awkwardly wiggles to find comfort. It makes a weird fabric rubbing noise against her pants and after getting some glances from other magazine-reading patrons, she squeaks out a "sorry" and finally sits still.

Green eyes squint impatiently at the clock. It was one of the few occasions she was on time for her appointment. It was supposed to begin twenty minutes ago. One of her advisors said to bring a book or something, but in some odd form of defiance, she didn't. So, she just picks up a random magazine from the pile on the table.

Sakura hates her advisors. She thinks all they do is play pretend-parent. Perhaps she's right. The advisors don't care what happens to her, they just want food on the table. Maybe, that's not such a horrible thing to want.

It's a sports magazine. She randomly picks an article about basketball. Sports is not something Sakura has had the opportunity to learn, so even after two thorough reads, it still confuses her.

Frustration flows through her veins and she throws the magazine to the floor. The people around her look at her with a mixture of disgust and pity. She _hates_ that look.

Shikamaru appears on the seat next to her. He's a ghost and her best friend. "Cool it," he says. He doesn't have to whisper, she's the only one who can hear him. It's Sakura's ..._gift_. She sees, hears and speaks with the dead.

Sakura nods.

After a few moments of painful silence, the other patrons turn their attention away from Sakura and back to whatever they were doing before.

Sakura turns her attention to the door of her psychiatrist's office. What was taking Shizune so long? As of on cue, the office door opens. The doctor invites Sakura in.

"Go get 'em," the ghostly teen says.

"I will," Sakura whispers. It's only audible between the two of them.

The pinkette enters the office. Shizune's office is filled with board games and children's toys. Several beige couches stand in the middle of the small room. This place is quite familiar to Sakura, she's been coming here every Tuesday night since she was eight, but the thing that perplexes her the most now is the stranger who sits on on the far left of one of the couches.

Squinting at the older man, who appeared to be no older than forty despite his gray hair, Sakura sits on the same couch, at the far right. It's conveniently somewhat far from the strange man. Sakura _is_ correct, Hatake Kakashi is a strange man. His face is covered, nose and below by a piece of fabric and one eye is covered by an eyepatch.

So yes, he is strange-looking, but he is _kind_, very kind.

"Shizune," they're on a first-name bases, Shizune made that very clear to Sakura on her first session, years ago. "Why is there a pirate at my counseling session?"

"Sakura, he's not a pirate-"

"Then why is he here?" The emerald eyed girl interrupts.

"I haven't told your advisors that he's here," Shizune was definitely not fond of them. "You can't tell them he's here, agreed?"

Sakura nods.

"Okay," Shizune turns to Kakashi. "why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Yo," he greeted. "My name's Hatake Kakashi."

"I prefer Pirate-man."

"I don't," he says matter-of-factly.

"Sakura-" The therapist starts.

"My name's Haruno Sakura, I'm sixteen."

Shizune gives Sakura a look. In a quick flash of movement, Sakura sticks out her pale hand. She often forgets social protocol. They don't let her out much.

Kakashi's mask shifts in a figure, he is smiling. He doesn't do that a lot.

"Tell me about yourself, Sakura."

"Like what?"

"Well," he starts, "what about likes and dislikes?"

"I like... time to myself," she lies. Whenever Sakura's alone she isn't _really_ alone. "I don't like..." the word 'advisors' immediately comes up, but she tweaks it a little and says, "fakers." A pause pours into the room. "Shizune," Sakura turns to the dark haired woman, "why is he here anyways?"

"The hospital believes that you may be ready for discharge-"

"Really?!" She's wanted to leave ever since her first night there, eight years ago.

"Yes, but you have to go through a trial first," Shizune exclaimed. "For a year, you will be living with Kakashi and you will go to school. If there are no mishaps, you go for adoption and you never have to go back to the institution ever again."

.

Author's address: Hey! I got this idea while listening to 42 by Coldplay. _Those who are dead are not dead, they're just living in my head. Oh. And since I fell in that spell, I am living there as well._ Get it? This will be a Sasusaku. I really enjoy feedback, positive or not. Your opinions are important to me! What do you think is going to happen in the future? Critique requested.


	2. Uchiha Sasuke

Four weeks have passed since the meeting in Shizune's office. During those four weeks Sakura's "officially" met Kakashi and moved in.

.

"Did you hear?" A blond girl asks. "There's a new girl moving in with Kakashi," she takes a swig from her beer.

"She's our age right?" Another blond says. "Why would a teenager move in with an adult?" He asked. "It's kinda creepy."

"M-maybe she's a niece or s-something," a pale eyed girl says.

"What do you think, Sasuke-kun?" The blond girl asks.

The pale boy shrugs. "Niece, definitely."

Four teens sit on the basketball court of the apartment complex.

The tan, blond haired, blue eyed boy is Uzumaki Naruto. He's the neighborhood's number one knuckle-headed idiot. He lives in the apartment under Kakashi's with his mother, Kushina and his father, Minato. The boy is quite athletic, but ranks lowest in his class and to cut it short, he's a dumb blond. He spins a basketball on his pointer finger.

Ino Yamanaka is pretty much the perfect dumb blond stereo-type along with Naruto. Her father owns a flower shop across the street from their apartment. They live two blocks away from the Uzumakis. Her hobbies include: shoe shopping, cuticle care and Uchiha Sasuke.

Uchiha Sasuke… He's definitely a different story. The boy was at the top of his class and pretty much talented at everything he did. Girls fawn over him from far and wide, but he never cares about them, he has his own agenda. He and his uncle, Obito, lived in the apartment next to the Uzumakis. Five weeks ago, Sasuke had burned down a local coffee shop and during questioning, did not stop insisting that his long dead brother had shown up.

Lastly, little good-girl Hyuga Hinata, she's the only one without a beer in hand. Her loss. The girl doesn't live in an apartment. She lived with her Mother, Father and sister in a house ten minutes away. Hinata never speaks much and when she does a stutter attacks her words. Her gray eyes made her look as if she was blind, not a lot of people approached her because of it and purple hair came down to her waist.

They all are juniors at Konoha HS.

.

Sakura puts two plates on the table. Then she gets two cups and a bottle of Diet Coke.

There's a knock at the door.

"Pizza's here," she tells Kakashi, who sits on the couch, working on his laptop.

She opens the door and frowns. It's not the pizza guy.

"Kabuto," Sakura hisses. The four-eyes that stands at her door was an advisor of hers at the institution. "What do you want?"

"I was in the neighborhood, visiting a boy named Uchiha Sasuke. You know him? He's a floor under you."

"No, I don't."

"Well, he's a candidate for the hospital, _if_ you know what I mean."

"Your going to torture him?"

"Soon," Kabuto answers. "He's got one more slip up."

Her fists clench. _It doesn't matter who this Sasuke is. No one deserves to be institutionalized. No one. _She thinks.

"Y-you _bastard_," she starts. She takes a swing at him but stops in the middle. A blow to his face wasn't worth her freedom.

"I hope you don't get too comfy here, Haruno. Soon, you'll be back where you belong," Kabuto threatens. "In a white, cushioned room with your wrists and ankles _tied_."

"You are not welcome in my home, Kabuto. Leave," Kakashi commands.

In mock surrender, the cruel man puts his hands up and leaves. "I'll be back, Sakura, soon enough," he chants as if it's a song as he travels the stairs.

She swiftly shuts the door closed and goes back to her room. No dinner.

.

"So then he's like, 'I'll be back!', and then he cackles like a super-villain," Sakura explained her and Kabuto's encounter to Shikamaru.

"Too troublesome."

"Totally and tomorrow I have school! Being new in the middle of the school year sucks." Sakura dreaded questionings.

"When I went to school, I flunked every class," the ghostly teen says.

"Why?"

"I slept through every test."

"I'm not surprised. I'm a bit nervous, though. I haven't been in school since third grade."

"Stop worrying and get some sleep."

"Good night pineapple head."

"Nighty night, Pinky."

The pinkette tucks herself into her bed and pulls the turquoise sheets up to her shoulders.

.

Kakashi pulls his ear away from the door in awe. He's always thought he was the only one.

.

Author's address: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Words cannot describe how much your opinions mean to me! So do it!


	3. Bad dreams

Author's address: Thanks to: CurlyHairRocksXD17 and Marisa Uchiha (You made my day, I'm serious.) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Words cannot describe how happy I am when you guys review and tell me what you think!

It's cold, small bumps raise all over her ivory skin. Plastic bands hold her wrists and ankles. It's a cushioned, white room.  
The same one they kept her in at the institution.  
Green eyes dart around.  
_I thought I was out of here!_ Twisting and turning didn't help her.  
"Shikamaru!" she calls, but he doesn't show.  
But, Kabuto does. He licks his lips like a hungry animal. "I _missed_ you Haruno-chan," he licks the side of her face, causing her to wince. With his thumb and forefinger, he grasps her chin. "Your so _pretty_," he starts, in mock affection. "Lucky me, you'll be mine forever."  
Sakura started crying, like she always did when he touched her, since she was thirteen years old.  
"I-I thought I w-was out," she whispers.  
"Silly, silly Haruno-chan," he snickers.

"Sakura, wake up," Shikamaru sighs."Wake up," he pokes her, but as usual it just went through. Ghosts can't touch living things. "Wake up," another unsuccessful poke. "Sakura, it's time."  
Ten minutes later, the pinkette sits up poker straight, panting heavily with cold sweat dripping down her temples.  
"Bad dreams?" Shikamaru asks.  
"It was him."  
"Anyone else?"  
"I called out for you, but you didn't come," she explains. The rosette turns her head to see the digital clock on her bedside table. "Ten minutes late!" the emerald eyed girl screeches.  
Out of respect, he walks through the door and takes his leave, for Sakura to get ready for school.

Shikamaru feels the gray haired man staring at him and turns to see him face to face.  
"I can see you," the man with the mask says. He casually looks through the newspaper.  
"I know," the ghost teen replies.  
"I thought I was the only one."  
"One of few. Very few."

"..."

"I'm actually quite surprised you two found each other."  
Kakashi shrugged.  
Sakura came out wearing a fitted, red t-shirt, black, straight jeans and skater shoes with her long, pink hair in a ponytail. She keeps on pushing the stray, shorter strands behind her ear, but they don't stay and they frame her face along with her bangs.  
This is one of two outfits that she owns.  
She grabs the old, gray backpack that Kakashi lets her use and an apple. Before anyone can tell her anything, she's out the door.  
"Does she know where the school is?" Shikamaru asks.  
"Nope. When you get to the next street make a left, you'll see it."  
Shikamaru leaves to go after his best friend.  
.

Author's address (part two?): I know... super short... the next on will be longer, I promise. It'll be very very very long. REVIEW REVIEW! It makes me want to update more!


	4. It's natural

After buying her lunch, the pinkette makes her way outside. She's always liked the outdoors and at the institution it was a rare treat to leave the building. It's why she's so pale.

She reached the Konoha HS soccer field and sat down in the grass.

"How do you like your classes so far?" the ghost says.

Sakura shrugs, "They were okay, I guess."

"Any Uchiha Sasuke?" Shikamaru asks.

"I've only met teachers, no students-"

"Are you going to help him?" Shikamaru interrupts. It's been a pressing question on his mind since last night.

The girl paused.

"I don't know yet."

After that, there was silence.

She wants to help him, whoever he is, but is it worth risking her freedom? It's only been a little over four weeks and she knows she doesn't ever want to leave. The thought of being back to at the hospital gives her shivers.

"Anyways," Shikamaru tries to change the subject. "you've got admirers or something." He cocks his head towards a group of teens on the bleachers.

"What do you think they want?" Sakura asks.

The ghost shrugs.

"Oi!" One waves, it's the blond boy, Naruto. "Come over here!" He smiles.

Sakura doesn't budge, but Naruto does.

He makes his way down the bleachers, through the grass and squats right in front of the emerald eyed girl.

"You're Sakura, right?"

Sakura nods.

"You're a cutie up-close, did ya know?" the blond casually flirts.

She shrugs, "Never occurred to me."

Naruto sticks out a tan hand, "Uzumaki Naruto at your service."

Emerald eyes stare at the hand and Sakura still holds her sandwich.

"You're supposed to shake it," the blond informs.

"But I don't want to," Sakura says matter-of-factly.

"You should, I'm your neighbor."

"But I don't want to."

He face palms and mutters a curse word to himself.

"Just come with me," he says.

"Whatever," she follows him to where four other teens are sitting on the bleachers.

Immediately, another obnoxious blond stands up.

"How did you get your hair like that?!" the blue eyed girl examines Sakura's locks with her nimble fingers.

"Personal space," the pinkette mutters, but it is not heard.

"How did you get it this color? Ooh, eyebrows too! Well, you're committed!"

"You talk fast."

"Answer the damn question!"

"It's natural."

Ino shakes her head. "Lies, all lies. Anyways, what's with the outfit?"

Sakura gets uncomfortable. "It's the only one I have."

Sasuke, the silent one sitting on the far side of the circle, raises his eyebrows. "You homeless or something?" he asks rudely.

"No, I just don't own a lot of clothes," the girl replies.

"That's it!" Ino proclaimes, she stands up and places a hand on Sakura's shoulder. _Drama queen_. "_You_ are coming to my house after school for a fashion lesson!"

"Do I have to?" Sakura twitches. She doesn't really _want_ friends. Not at a time like this.

"Yes, you have to."

"But, I don't want to-"

"Why don't you sit down Sakura-chan," Naruto interrupts. He's starting to notice a pattern, even if he is an idiot. "The banshee, she's Ino, the brunette's Kiba, Hinata over there," he pointed to the pale eyed girl. "she's my girlfriend." Hinata blushes, as expected. "And that's Teme."

"That's not my name, dobe."

"It's Sasuke," he whispers to Sakura. "but I think Teme's more fitting."

.

Sakura closes her locker in relief. The day was over and she was still alive and well. Day one, successful.

She turns to leave but Sasuke stands right in front of her.

"What's your deal?" he asks.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she walks away and out the door, but he follows.

"Annoying."

"Well, your the one asking questions."

Sakura speeds up her tread, but he does too.

"Where did you come from?"

"None of your business," she says, hoping to send him the message: go away,

but apparently, the Uchiha does not receive it.

"Do you know anything about the institution or that four-eyes?"

She stops. "Kabuto?"

"Yeah, he came to my apartment and threatened me," he comes around to face her.

"Is that all?" Sakura knows he isn't telling her everything.

"He mentioned you."

"Wh-what did he," she wipes her eyes. "say?"

"That your crazy." he says matter-of-factly.

"That's not all, i-isn't it?"

"He says you think you can talk to ghosts. Can you?" he asks. It doesn't even occur to him to even comfort her.

"What would you say if I said no?" the tears stop forming in the girl's green eyes.

"I would-"

**HONK!** A car stops right in front of the two, parking on the sidewalk.

It's Ino's white convertible. The blonde sits in the front with Hinata in the passenger seat and Katy Perry blaring loud on the speakers.

"Forehead," this is Ino's new nickname for Sakura and judging by the glare the pinkette is giving to the blond, she wasn't a fan. "I thought you were coming to coming with us."

"What gave you that impression, Pig?" Sakura came up with the name by the amount of food she ate during lunch.

"Just get in the damn car, Billboard brow!" Ino shrieks.

"Don't get your tail in a twist, Pork chops," the pinkette reluctantly hopped into the back seat.

With an illegal speed, the car swerved back onto the street and continued the way to the Yamanaka's.

The Uchiha just stood there. He ran a hand through his ebony kind-of-looks-like-a-duck's-ass hair like he's always done.

"I would've been disappointed," he mutters.

.

With a backpack full of clothes, homework and mostly clothes, Sakura arrives home.

"How was Ino's?" Kakashi asked.

"It was okay, she made me borrow her clothes and made me listen to Katy Perry non-stop, but all in all, it was okay," _Wait. What?_ "How did you know I was at Ino's?"

"Shikamaru told me," Kakashi said.

"..."

"I thought I was the only one."

Sakura shakes her head no. "You aren't."

"Is that why you were sent to the institution?" the man asks.

"My parents thought I was crazy so they put me there and they've made it obvious they don't want me back. So what about you, Kakashi?" Sakura asks. "What's with the mask and eyepatch?"

"I was a criminal, always on the run. At one point, I got a girlfriend and we had a kid. She was a girl and her name was Shion. I had bad blood with my old gang once I left and they decided to burn down our home. My wife and Shion died, I only came out with burns."

"So that's why you where the mask."

"Shion was only ten. She had long blond hair and a smile that just made everything," he paused for a bit. "_better_."

"I'm sorry..."

"You remind me of her. So much that it hurts."

With caution, Sakura steps over to man and hugs him.

"We're a perfect match, I need a parent and you need a daughter."

.

Author's note: this is **not** KAKASAKU. EWW NO! I hop you noticed the SASUSAKU moment. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I love it when people review, so REVIEW!


	5. A question

"Teme and I are gonna shoot some hoops," Naruto starts. "Wanna come with?" he suggests. He and the young Uchiha had decided they were going to teach their _Sakura-chan!_ the ways of the world.

"Sorry, I don't do sports," Sakura exclaims. She promptly shuts the brown door and sighs.

"But Sakura-chan!" a voice from the other side starts, "It'll be fun!"

"No it won't." All she wants to do today is sit in the apartment, watch tv and eat junk.

"You should go," Shikamaru suggests. "Make some friends. It'll be fun."

"Says the guy who looks at clouds all day. You're the most anti-social person to walk the planet."

"Yeah, but I'm dead."

The pinkette leans back, her elbows on the counter. "Whatever."

"Sakura-chan! I'm not taking no for an answer!" the blond boy pesters.

"If you shut up, I'll go."

Naruto clamped his jaw down. It was more difficult for him than the average person, but the attempt is successful.

"Dobe, you idiot," the silent-until-now Uchiha spits. With a twist of his wrist, an old basketball spins on his index finger as he leans against the wall with the other hand sitting in his jean's pocket.

"Dumb ass," Sakura mutters. She lays down on the couch, ready for a day of relaxation and fatty foods. The girl needs a break, a break from pestering friends, specifically an loudmouthed blond and another blond who not only claims herself to be the pinkette's rival but dumps half of her closet's contents in Sakura's room.

"Listen, " Sasuke's voice filters through the door. "We're just trying to be nice."

"See?" Shikamaru voices. "I was right."

For a moment, she reconsiders, but it falls short. "It's not like he's being a gentleman," she sneers.

"To waste away in your little hole, is that why you got out?" the dead teen taunts.

Sakura realizes. Why the hell was she still cooped up? Why wasn't she enjoying her freedom? Bolting from the couch, Sakura ran out the door.

.

Sakura sat on the side, watching the other two play. It had been a while since she had participated in something like this. She liked it. Being around friends made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. It was _nice_, she couldn't believe it.

When she was little, the other children would laugh at her because of her forehead, not to mention the rosette's paranoia (a gift from her gift, we'll call it). She didn't play games and she didn't make friends, well, _living_ ones per se. But her new friends, as she is brave enough to call them that, they went out of their way to help her. It was a type of kindness Sakura didn't find very often. Kindness in general always seemed to hide from her. But as soon as she met Sasuke, Naruto and the others, kindness was thrust upon her like an avalanche.

She didn't appreciate it at first, but now she looks back and remembers how horrible the loneliness is. A smile graces her face making her green eyes crinkle.

"Why don't ya try, Sakura-chan?!" Naruto asks, breaking her from her thoughts.

Reminded of how nonathletic she is, she declines. "You'd laugh," she says. Sakura isn't the type to show off, a difference between her and the boys. They shot three-pointers as easily as sleeping.

Despite her rejection, Sasuke threw the ball at her, aiming for her gut. She fell to the side and dodged it."What the hell, Sasuke?!" the girl on the ground screams.

"Catching," the Uchiha states as he goes to retrieve the basketball from the brown, dead grass. "-it's a simple skill."

Flip goes the switch as she stands and jerks the ball from his pale hands. Emotions in Sakura have always tended to change in record amounts of time. Now was no different. She forgets her insecurities. They are no more. "I might not be able to catch, but I can shoot better than you any day." Bad move, Sakura. She forgets her decline from earlier.

"Wanna bet on that, Pinky?" Sasuke challenges. His nostrils flare, one of the many little things to observe about the boy.

"I said 'any day' didn't I? You _deaf_, chicken-ass?"

Another thing to observe about the Uchiha, he's the devious kind. He fought his battles with careful, planned strategy. This is no different. "Score from the charity line and I'll do your homework for the next three weeks," he suggested. A free-throw for him would've been cake. The Uchiha hasn't ever seen her shoot, only trip over footballs in Gym and duck-and-cover when a ball comes in radius as she sits in her assigned goalie position. Haruno Sakura was nowhere near being a star on the field like he was. _She's a fast and agile runner, good for track_, he admits. But this time, she had to test on the pavement and speed doesn't help when you're shooting. "and if you miss you have to answer a question."

"What's the question?" Sakura asks, arms still crossed. A warrior waging a battle.

"Shoot first," he bounce-passes the orange sphere of doom to her. "-then talk."

With a small shake she catches it and gives her opponent a look. _"See, I can catch. You ass hole,"_ it says. Judging by the glare he's giving her: message received.

With a determined look on her face (ill determined, of course), she steps up to the free throw line. Her skater-shoe clad feet spread shoulder width apart. She rolls her shoulders back, causing a few cracks and dribbles the ball once. Instead of hitting the black top, it bounced on her foot. It rolls away as the pinkette face-palms.

Sasuke's smirking, she can feel it. It's like an itch in the back of her head. Words do not describe how much she wants to rip it off in a painfully slow manner and tear it even further into pieces. She's not attempting the assault, the girl has been making progress.

"Here ya go, Sakura-chan!" Naruto places the basketball in the Haruno's hands. The poor boy, in the middle of it. He doesn't mind, he never does.

_Where's Pineapple-head when I need him?_ Sakura franticly asks. She remembers the pictures in the article from Shizune's office.

The first time you met her, remember?

Her elbows raise and with a flick of the wrist, she throws.

She misses. It hadn't even hit the rim. Honestly, what do you _expect_? Naruto gets the rebound, disappointed. Perhaps he isn't as impartial as we think.

"So, Pinky," Sasuke taunts. "looks like I won."

"What else is new?" the girl spits, the words are scalding rocks on her tongue. The Uchiha's smirk broadens and the Haruno's fists tightens. A rotten winner and a sore loser. "Now," she starts. "What's the question?"

"Can you talk or see or - whatever- to dead people?"

Naruto drops the ball, blond eyebrows high. "What the hell, Teme? Sakura-chan can't talk to dead people!" He exclaimed. "That's impossible, crazy, it doesn't happ-"

"Yeah, I can."


End file.
